You know that feeling when you pick up a book, and from page one, you just *know* it’s going to be amazing? That was me with this one. The premise? Absolutely gripping. The execution? Impeccable. The eerie, slow-burn tension? 10/10. I devoured it in a single day, completely unable to put it down. And then… the ending happened. 😩

But let’s rewind.

This book follows Alice Weber, a girl the whole town swears is possessed. Enter a journalist, determined to uncover the truth, and Mina Alice (a child psychologist), who joins forces with him to figure out what’s *really* happening. What starts as a simple investigation quickly spirals into something far more disturbing than either of them expected. And let me tell you—the horror, the unsettling atmosphere, and the sheer *what-the-heck-is-happening* factor? Chef’s kiss. 👌✨

The writing pulled me in, the mystery kept me guessing, and the pacing had my heart racing. It was everything I wanted… until we got to the final stretch. I kept waiting for that *aha!* moment, for answers that would tie it all together. But instead, I was left with… nothing. Nada. Just a lot of questions and a slightly betrayed feeling. 😅

That’s not to say this book isn’t worth reading—because *oh boy,* it is! If you love dark, eerie mysteries with a side of psychological horror, this one will grab you and refuse to let go. Just be warned: the ending might leave you staring at the ceiling, wondering what just happened.

🔮💀 *Final Verdict:* A wildly gripping ride with an ending that… well, let’s just say it might not be for everyone. Proceed with curiosity (and maybe a backup book in case you need closure). 💌

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce is the story of Mina, a child psychologist with no experience and Sam, a reporter she met at a grief group, going to a small town to help a troubled girl. They believe she is haunted by a witch. Mina and Sam find out that this town has unusual traditions and secrets. They also find out the lengths people will go to keep their secrets hidden. We find out sometimes the real horror can be found in those secrets. I loved that this book was set in the 1980s. I kept thinking things like “why don’t they text…oh. They don’t have that.” It was definitely a book I did not want to put down. I was hooked from the beginning. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur books for an advanced digital copy of Something in the Walls.

Could not put this book down.Horror with a touch of feminism great characters really involving.Daisy Pearce is an excellent writer and I will be following her .#netgalley#st.martinsbooks.

This was perfectly creepy! When Mina, a newly graduated child psychologist, is approached by a journalist during one of her grief counseling sessions, she can’t help but be intrigued by his offer. Sam has just wrapped up an interview with a teenage girl from a small town who believes a witch is watching her through the walls and he needs help from Mina to understand if Alice is truly being haunted. While others think the girl can communicate with the dead, Sam and Mina decide to uncover the truth behind what’s happening to Alice. Both have their own hidden motives, while they want to help Alice, they also hope that she might be the key to reconnecting with their lost loved ones.
I loved the eerie atmosphere of this book and wished it was longer. I do think it could have explored certain elements more deeply. More background on the town and its people would have helped set up the ending better. Additionally, it was difficult to connect with some characters since they were introduced abruptly without much development. If you enjoy the vibe of a haunted, isolated town with a touch of Midsommar, you’re in for a real treat.

*Thank you to Daisy Pearce, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

The eerie and suspenseful witchcraft vibes of this book is what kept me going. Otherwise, the story was slow and tedious. Didn’t really feel like much was happening until the end. Even then, it left me with questions that didn’t seem to get answered. Loved the writing style but was hoping for more in regards to the story.

2025 has been so good to me. This was great--just creepy and folky and haunted. I liked the premise of going to a small town dripping in supernatural lore and investigating, too. I feel like this could almost be a TV show with that premise. This was tense, with interesting world and characters, and I really did enjoy it. The US cover is also really cool, and it fits the vibe of the story well.

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS by @kaiki3000 is full of gothic tension and disbelief in your own senses. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @stmartinspress for the e-ARC and #partner @macmillanaudio for the #lrc. Happy Pub Day to this title!

💀💀💀

Mina, a yet very green child psychologist is waiting for her break. When she attends her normal bereavement group she attends to mourn her brother's death years ago, she meets journalist Sam Hunter and he has a proposition. Something dark and dangerous is stirring in the remote Irish island of Bathanel and young Alice Webber claims she is being haunted by a witch. She is showing signs of sickness and coughing up strange things. In a town built over the bodies of witches and where superstitions and hag stones run rampant, Mina must determine what is disturbing the girl and prove whether or not it is otherworldly.

💀💀💀

This kind of story has everything I want in a book - a competent if newly minted female sleuth, a dark mystery, gothic small town vibes, and a whole boatload of secrets to uncover. The author uses misdirection, nuance and other subtleties to move your senses in one direction while pulling a slight of hand action in the other. I loved the ending and all its implications! If you want to be spooked in the best way, pick this one up!

DNF @ 74%

I really tried to get into this book. But I’m not scared, the audio is boring me to sleep, and paranormal activity seems unreal. I cannot decipher between what’s really happening and what’s in their head. I wanted to like this one but I couldn’t continue.

🥺🥺🥺 I’m scared. Dang near every page of this one creeped me out. I found it impossible to put down once I hit the 20% mark, even though I knew what I was in for.
My imagination ran wild with the imagery, and at times was just like a movie playing in my head.
I’m left with a lot of questions, now that I’ve finished, but in the best way possible. A story like this does not need a tidy little bow and the author handled to ending so well!
Highly recommend if you are a reader of all things that go bump in the night!

Teased with the first few chapters of Something in the Walls, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the rest. Child psychologist Mina meets journalist Sam at a grief support group. He's investigating events happening in a remote village - there's a girl exhibiting strange behavior, she's getting worse, and oh by the way the village is steeped in superstition and witchcraft lore.

The hook occurs when Sam plays back a recording for Mina that he made at an earlier interview with the girl and her family. There's something unexpected and otherworldly captured. Super creepy!

Reminiscent of Emma Donoghue's The Wonder, we meet the village characters as Mina and Sam stay at the family house. They're eccentric, there are cruel teens, the village is secretive and protective. What is going on?!?

I loved the beginning. Was mildly entertained with the eerie and unsettling middle (that may have dragged a bit) and more than disappointed with the ending (which didn't stick the landing). I'll just leave it at that.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. (pub date 2/25/2025)

Thank you @minotaur and @netgalley for a copy of the e-ARC.

Happy Pub Day to Something in the Walls.

I am a big fan of haunted houses, curses, and possessions. Those are my favorite types of horror books to read. Something in the Walls is about a 13-year-old girl who lives in a small village and is rumored to be possessed by a witch. The small village has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft.

Mina is a newly graduated child psychologist. She meets Sam, a journalist, in a grief group. Mina lost her younger brother when they were both still children. Sam lost his four-year-old daughter. They team up and travel to a remote village to try and help Alice, the girl everyone thinks is possessed by a witch. It’s the thick of summer, and I love when an environmental aspect is used as its own character in a book. Sam is looking for a scoop, and Mina is hoping to gain some experience in her field, as she doesn’t believe Alice is truly possessed. They are also both haunted by the huge losses in their own lives.

The story is studded with folklore and horror. There are tense moments that described so well I can see them clearly in my mind. It’s creepy and I really enjoyed it.

I loved this book. This is the first book in a long while that has really creeped me out. Mina meets Sam at a grief support group; she dealing with the loss of her brother, he with that of his daughter. Sam is a journalist who has been asked to travel to a small town to investigate the possible haunting of Alice Webber, a 14 year old girl. He asks Mina, a newly graduated child psychologist to accompany him to see if there is a possible psychological basis for her experiences.

Things I liked: the imagery is astoundingly unsettling. I truly cannot say enough about how well Daisy Pearce sets the mood and describes how creepy this town, this house, and this whole situation is. The mish-mash of human evil, supernatural evil, grief, wishing for there to be something beyond, and there maybe being something there that you weren't bargaining for. I finished this book a week ago and I'm still thinking about how deeply creepy it is.

Easy five stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting story about witches. Some good surprises. Didn't care for some characters. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

🐝🐝🐝.5 / 5

SOMETHING IN THE WALLS by Daisy Pearce

happy pub day! and thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for early access to the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

quick thoughts:
⭐️ 3.5/5
🧙🏻‍♀️ child psychologist takes on her first case: a teen girl claiming to be possessed by a witch
😱 psychological horror, paranormal mystery
✍🏼 single POV, shortish chapters
🔮 witches, history, folklore, supernatural
🤷🏻‍♀️ might not be for everyone, but i think horror lovers will enjoy

i requested this one on NetGalley because the cover is so creepy, and the synopsis sold me. though the story changed directions and ended up not being what i expected, i still enjoyed it!

🎶 “now i’m no longer alone”

this story was so dark and had fantastic horror elements. i was pretty creeped out throughout, which is a testament to the author’s exceptional writing. i had no idea where this one was going, and then when i thought i did, the story did a complete 180. trying to be brief about what i didn’t like so i don’t spoil anything, but i wish more of what was in the first half of the book was in the second half. however, i still think this one was an entertaining horror read!

This book was not for me. I did not care about it, and it did not keep me engaged. The description was amazing but the execution, not my favorite.

The first half of this book is mysterious and tense. The second half of the book felt lackluster to me. It was my first time reading this author. I do feel they are talented and I would try another book by them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Daisy Pearce for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Something in the Walls coming out February 25, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I can’t remember if this is a debut author, but it’s the first book I’ve read by her. I really love creepy horror books. I also love witch books. I thought this would be perfect for me. I thought the first half of the book was really mysterious. I wasn’t as into the second half of the book. This book wasn’t quite for me. I would check out other books by this author.

This book sounded spooky and eerie and I was 100% here for it, but the payoff wasn’t as good as I was hoping it’d be.

I liked the 1989 small town in England setting, and thought it was perfect for a witchy, folk horror plot. The start of the book felt a bit disjointed, like maybe too many things were happening without enough background info, but once we got to the small town, things felt more smooth.

I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, but I did find the dynamics between the “outsiders” (Mina and Sam) and the townspeople interesting. I also liked seeing Mina’s interactions with certain people as the story progressed, and the uncertainty of who could be trusted, including Mina.

There were moments where things felt creepy and unsettling, but nothing really scary. I did find myself wanting a little more from the witchy plot, as there wasn’t as much there as I was expecting given the synopsis, or at least not in the way I was anticipating; I think we could’ve gotten deeper into the local lore of witches. The ending seemed a little abrupt, and didn’t wrap up as nicely as I usually like (but for people who like ambiguous endings, you’ll like this one).

This was a book that held my attention but might not be that memorable for me.

I couldn’t put this book down, the author did a great job at building suspense and creating a rich, disturbing atmosphere, and creating interesting characters. I was hooked from the very beginning and basically feverishly read it all in one sitting because I HAD to know what happened next!

The reason for the rating is the ending and a few discrepancies along the way. I was confused and I felt certain things weren’t explained and unfortunately in this kind of book I think you need a really strong ending for a higher rating. But I did overall like this thriller/horror and would recommend it to others who like the genre!

I binged this book in a single evening. Something about Mina's character, flaws and all, drew me in. She lost her brother young, and it's impacted her life and career decisions. When she meets a newspaper reporter named Sam at a grief support meeting, she finds herself pulled into the case of Alice Webber. Alice is exhibiting bizarre behavior and claims to be haunted by a witch living in the chimney. Mina does everything she can to try and help and when she gets to the shocking truth, the story takes a crazy turn. The narration of the audiobook by Ana Clements was very well done. I highly recommend this book for fans of lore, paranormal, and spooky thrillers.